Clay-gun-operating mechanism.



H. A. BERG.

CLAY GUN OPERATING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 11, 1913. 1,1 1,224. Patented Dec. 15, 1914.7

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

H. A. BERG.

CLAY GUN OPERATING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT.11,1913. 1,121,224. Patented Dec. 15, 1914.

3 SHEETS-SHEBT 2.

INVENTOR- WITNESSES H. A. BERG.

CLAY GUN OPERATING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT.11,1913. 1 121,224 Patented Dec. 15, 1914.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

/ ILB 20 /5 I6 50 4d /7 j 8 39 Z WETNESSES INVENTOR Warn STATES rATENtr OFFICE.

HAKON A. Band, or mmnnocx; PENNSYLVANIA.

CLAY-GUN-OPERATING MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 15, 1914.

Application filed September 11, 1913. Serial .No. 789,327.

To all whom it may concem:

Beit known that I, HAKQN A. BERG, a citizen of the United States, residing at Braddock, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania have invented a new and useful Clay-Gun-perating Mechanism, of which the following is a s ecification.

My invention relates to t e class of devices used in plugging the tapping holes of with the tapping hole of blast furnaces and is moved and held in position while the clay gunis bein actuated to expel the clay from the clay cy inder of the gun in closing the furnace tapping hole.

Another object of my invention is to provide improved means whereby the clay 'gun is actuated from a point remote from the tapping hole and the safety of the operatives is thereby insured.

Still further objects of my invention will become apparent as the invention is more fully descrlbed hereinafter.

Referring to the drawings forming part of this specification, Figure 1' is a front elevation of the bosh or lower part of a blast furnace showing a clay gun and operating mechanism as constructed and arranged and applied for use in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a plan of the apparatus shown in Fig.1, and Fi 3 is a sectional side elevation, the section eing taken on the line IIIIII of Fig. 2.

In the accompanying drawings, the numeral 2 designates the bosh of a blast furnace, the' furnace bcing supported on a mantel plate 3 which is carried u on'the upper ends of the furnace columns 4 1n the usual known manner. The furnace is provided with the usual iron tapping hole 5 and in front of the tapping hole is a skimmer trough or runner 6 in which molten metal is conducted from the blast furnace to the skimmer from which it flows into the iron runners leading from the discharge end of the skimmer to the pouring spouts or, when used, to the pig beds.

Mounted upon one of the furnace columns 4, located at one side of the iron runner 6, so as to be rotatable about the vertical axis of this column is a boom 7 having a clay gun suspended from the outer swinging end thereof. The clay gun consists of the usual clay cylinder 8 having a nozzle 9 on the discharge end thereof and having an opening.

10 in its side through which the clay used to stop the tapping hole is introduced into the cylinder and a tandem fluid pressure cylinder 11 with a piston rod having pistons on its ends, one in the clay cylinder 8 and one in the fluid pressure cylinder 11. The clay gun is of the usual known construction, and in itself does not form part of my inven-' tion, so is not more fully described. The angular position of the lengthwise center of the clay gun with respect to the length of the boom in vert'gll-planes is fixed so that when the boom is swung to move the gun into operative position the clay gun always extends lengthwise parallel with the length of the skimmer trough or runner6 in a VBI? tical plane when at the end of the movement of the boom in one direction.

One'end of the boom 7 is provided with a sleeve 12 which turns around the furnace column when the boom swinging mechanism is actuated. The sleeve is rovided with a ball-race 13 at the bottom t ereof andwith' a roller bearing 14 at the top so as to reduce the friction to a minimum and enable the boom to be easily moved .to bring the clay gun into and out of operative position in line with and in frontof the tapping hole 5. The outer end of the boom 7 is provided with a bracket 15 which is rigidly mounted thereon and which is provided with an antifriction roller 16 on its lower end. The clay gun is provided with a trolley rail 17 which is rigidly secured thereto and which is arranged to secure the clay gun on the boom by engagement with the anti-friction roller 16 on the end of the boom bracket 15 as is more fully explained hereinafter. The rear end of the fluid pressure'cylinder 10 forming part of the clay gun is also connected by .I o p means of a wire rope, chain or other flexible member. 18 with a-counterweight 19, the

flexible member passingover the sheave wheels 20 and 21 on the end of the boomfl7 and around the guide 22 on the furnace c01- mum on which the boom is movably secured,

this flexible member 18 also passing around the sheave wheel 23 which is fastened in a suitable location to the hearth jacket 24 ofthe blast furnace.

Fixed at a suitable point on the guide 22 for the flexible member 18 is a bracket 25- having an opening therein through which the flexible member 18 passes and the flexible-member is provided with a stop 26 which is arranged to engage with the bracket 24 to limit the travel of the flexible member through the opening in the bracket 25 in one direction, as will'be described later.

Extending in front of the tapping hole 5 above the iron runner is a horizontal shaft 27 fixed in suitable bearings so as to rotate therein, vand keyed or otherwise secured on the shaft are depending arms 28 which are arranged to engage with the lugs 29 on the 1 nozzle end of the clay gun to move the clay gun forwardly lengthwise into operative position and hold the clay gun in such positionin front'of the tapping hole 5 when expelling the clay from the clay cylinder 10 of the clay gun into the tapping hole 5.

On one end of the horlzontal shaft 27 is a lever arm 30 which is connected by one end to the piston rod 31 of a fluid pressure cylinder 32 which is pivotally secured by one end to the furnace column 4 at the right hand side of the iron runner 6 in front of the tapping hole, this cylinder being arranged to rock the shaft 27 in actuating the depending arms 28 thereon to move the clay gun into plugging position.

The flexible member'44, connected. by one end to the fluid pressure cylinder 11 and by the other end to the bracket 15 on the end of the boom 7, limits the downward movement of the fluid pressure cylinder end of the clay gun, so'as to maintain the gun in a substantially horizontal position when being swung into and out of position in front of into and out of the position shown in full.

lines in Fig. 3, so that unless provision is made for raising and lowering the nozzle of the clay. gun while the clay gun is positioned with its longitudinal center line parallel with the longitudinal center line of the iron runner, the clay gun cannot be brought into the desired position in front of the tapping hole of the furnace. The sleeve 12 by which the boom 7 is rotatabiy secured upon the-furnace column 4 is provided with a drum or sheave wheel 33 to which the operating cable 34 is secured, at

an intermediate point in its length by wrapping two or three turns of the cable around the drum or by clamping the cable to the drum or preferably by, both means. The two "strands of the cable 34 are then passed over sheave wheels 35 on the-bracket 36 which is secured to one of the columns of the furnace cast house and the ends thereof fastened to the winding drum 38, this drum having a crank 39 thereon by which the drum is rotated to manually swing the clay gun into and out of operating position.

When desired the strands of the cable 34 may be passed over sheave wheels 40 on a bracket 41 which is fixed to one of the cast house columns and connected to the piston rods 42 of the fluid pressure cylinders 43 so as to provide power means for actuating the cable to move the clay gun into and out of operating position, and if found necessary both means may be employed so as to permit theclay gun being moved into or out of-operative position either by power or manually operated means.

In' the operation of my improved apparatus theclay cylinder of the clay gun is filled with clay while in the position shown by dotted lines iinFig. 2. The crank 39 on the drum 38, when this operating mechanism is employed, is then turned manually to wind the flexible connection 34 thereon, or fluid pressure is admitted to one of the fluid pressure cylinders 43, such operation swinging,

the boom 7 to move the clay gun from the position shown dotted in Fig. 2 into position horizontally in line with and in front of the furnace tapping hole 5. As the clay gun approaches a'position in front of the tapping hole lengthwise parallel with the length of the iron trough 6 .the stop 26 on the flexible member '18 engages with the bracket on the furnace column and further movement of the flexible connection 18 in this direction is prevented. .VVhen this occurs, the chain pulls upon the fluid pressure cylinder 11 on the rear end of the clay gun and tilts the clay gun froma lengthwise horizontal position into the'inclined position i shown by full lines in Fig. '3. i Fluid pressure is then admitted into the operating cylinder 32 to cause the clamping dogs or depending levers 28 on the horizontal shaft to engage with the lugs 29 on the nozzle'end of the clay 'gun and move the-clay gun forwardly until the nozzle is at discharging position in front of thetapping hole as is shown in full lines in Fig.3. When moved by the clamping dogs 28, the clay gun travels lengthwise slightly, this movement being permitted by the trolley rail 17 which moves forwardly on the wheel or pulley 16 on the bracket 15 on the end of the boom 7. The fluid pressure is maintained in the cylinder 32 so as to cause the clamping dogs 28 to hold the clay gun in the full line position shown in Fig. 3 and prevent it kicking backwardly when fluid pressure is admitted to the cylinder 11 to causethe piston in the clay cylinder 10 to expel the clay into the tapping hole 5 to close the tapping hole. After the clay has been expelled from the clay gun and the furnace tapping hole 5 is closed, fluid pressure is admitted to the .opposite end of the cylinder 32 so as to move the clamping dogs into their retracted position and release the clay gun- The crank 39 is then operated or else fluid pressure is then admitted to the other of the pair of operating cylinders 43 and the boom turning connections are thereby actuated to move the clay gun into its inoperative position. At the beginning of the movement of the retracting mechanism, the counterweighted flexible member 18 is slackened, which permits the rearmost or heavy end ofthe clay gun to move automatically from the tilted position shown in Fig. 3 into a substantially longitudinally horizontal position. Such movement causes the nozzle 9 of the clay gun to tilt until above the level of the top'of the iron runner 6'so as to clear the iron runner. Continued movement of the operating cylinder 43 then swings the clay gun from the position shown in full lines in Fig. 2. until again in the position shown by dotted lines in this figure, in readiness for the clay cylinder to be again filled in preparation for the next tapping hole plugging operation. The above described operations are then continued from time to time as often as required in the successive casting operations.

The advantages of my invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art. By the use of my improved clay gun operating mechanism the clay gun is suspended from the end of the swinging boom so as to always swing into position in front of the tapping -hole with its longitudinal axis parallel ina vertical plane with the lengthwise center of the iron runner. The operating mechanism also swings the clay gun into such position and upon reaching a position above the iron runner automatically depresses the nozzle end of the gun into position to be moved forwardly into clay discharging position. The clamping dogs when actuated engage with and first move the clay gun forwardly on the support for the gun and then hold the clay gun in discharging position. The re turn movement of the clay gun is made mechanically so as to quickly swing the gun from its operative position in front of the tapping hole into position at one side of the iron runner and out of the way of the workmen.

Modifications in the construction and arrangement of the parts may be made without departing from my invention as defined in the claims.

I claim:

1. A clay gun operating mechanism comprising a horizontally swinging boom to which the cla gun is secured to swing therewith, means for swinging said boom to move the clay gun into lengthwise alinement in a vertical plane with the length of the furnace tapping hole and the trough leading therefrom, means for automatically tilting the clay gun lengthwise in a vertical plane to depress the nozzle into clay discharging position, and means for holding the nozzle .in position during the discharging operatlon.

2. A clay gunopcrating mechanism comprising a horizontally swinging boom to which the clay gun is secured, said clay gun and boom being arranged to extend lengthwise at an oblique angle in vertical planes, means for swinging the boom to move the clay gun into alinement lengthwise in a. vertical plane with the furnace tapping hole and trough leading therefrom, means for automatically tilting the clay gun lengthwise in a vertical plane to depress the nozzle of the clay gun into discharging position, and means for holding the nozzle in such discharging position in operating the clay gun.

3. A clay gun operating mechanism comprising a horizontally swinging boom to which the clay gun is secured, means for swinging the boom to move the clay gun into alinement lengthwise with the lengthwise center of the furnace tapping hole and iron trough leading therefrom, means for tilting the clay gun to depress the clay nozzle of the clay gun below the level of the iron trough when in alinement vertically with said tapping hole and trough, and holding means for moving the tilted clay gun lengthwise to bring and maintain the nozzle end of the clay gun in discharging position in emptying the clay cylinder of the clay gun.

at. A clay gun operating mechanism comprising a horizontally swinging boom .to which the clay gun is secured in vertical planes in fixed angular relation, means for swinging the boom to move the clay gun into alinement lengthwise with the furnace tapping hole and trough leading therefrom, mechanical means for automatically tilting the clay gun to depress the clay nozzle of the clay gun below the level of said trough when curing the clay gun in tilted position in discharging the cl y gun.

prising a horizontally swinging boom having a clay gun secured thereto, means forswinging the boom to move the clay gun into and out of alinement lengthwise with the furnace tapping hole and trough leading therefrom, means for tilting the clay gun to depress the clay nozzle thereof below the level of said trough when in alinement vertically with said tapping hole and trough, holding means for securing the clay gun in tilted position, and means connecting the clay gun and swinging boom to limit the tilting movement of the clay gun in one direction.

6. A clay gun operating mechanism comprising a horizontally swinging boom having a clay gun suspended therefrom, a flexible member connected to and leading away from said boom by which the boom is swung to move the clay un into and out of position in front of t e furnace tapping hole, and means for moving the flexible member to swing the boom.

7. A clay gun operating mechanism comprising a horizontally swinging boom having a clay gun suspended therefrom, a flexible member connected to and leading away from said boom by which the boom is swung to move the clay gun into and out of position in front of the furnace tapping hole, and a fluid, presure cylinder connected to and operating the flexible member to swing the boom in one direction.

,8. A clay gun operating mechanism comprising a horizontally swingin boom having a clay gun suspended there rom, a flexible member connected to and leading away from said boom by which the boom is actuated 'to swing the clay gun into and out of position in front of the furnace tapping hole, and a drum having a manually operated crank thereon connected to and operating the flexible member to swing the boom in one direction.

'9. A clay gun operating mechanism comprising a horizontally swingin boom having a clay gun suspended there om. a flexible member connected to and leading away from said boom by which the boom is swung to move the clay gun into and out of position in front of the furnace tapping hole, a fluid pressure cylinder connected to one end ofthe flexible member to swing the boom i one direction, and a winding drum connected to the other end of said member to swing the boom in the opposite direction.

10. A cla gun operating mechanism comprising a orizontally swinging boom, a clay gun secured to the swinging end of the boom in fixed angular relation therewith in vertical planes, means for swinging the boom to move the clay gun into and out of alinement lengthwise with the furnace tapping hole and trough leading therefrom, a

counterweighted flexible member to move and yieldingly hold the clay gun in horizontal'position, and means co-acting with the flexible member to tilt the clay gun lengthwise and depress the nozzle of the clay gun.

11. A clay gun operating mechanism comprising a horizontally swinging boom, a clay gun secured to the swinging end of the boom in fixed angular relation therewith in vertical planes, means for swinging the boom to move the clay gun into and out of alinement lengthwise with the furnace tapping hole and trough leading therefrom, a counterweighted flexible member to move and yieldingly hold the clay gun in horizontal position, and means co-acting with the flexible member to depress the nozzle of the clay gun while the clay gun is moving into position in alinement with the furnace tapping hole. V,

12. A clay1 gun operating mechanism comprising a orizontally swinging boom, a clay gun secured to the swinging end of the boom in fixedangular relation therewith in vertical planes, means for swinging the boom to move the clay un into and out of alinement lengthwise with the furnace tapping hole and trough leading therefrom, a counterweighted flexible member -to move and yieldingly hold the clay gun in 'hori-' zontal position, and means on the flexible member and the boom support arranged to engage and thereby tilt the clay gun and depress the nozzle of the clay while the clay gun is moving into position in alinement with the furnace tapping hole.

4 In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand.

HAKON A; BERG., Witnesses:

T. J. 'OBRIEN,

T. E. 'KENNEY. 

